Larry和李華正在商量要去看哪部電影。李華想看一部新的法國片,但是Larry卻想看別的電影。今天李華會學到兩個常用語:rattle on和third degree。
LH: Larry,我真的很想看那部法國電影嘛!
LL: I'm sorry, Li Hua, but I don't like French movies. The characters always rattle on and on about philosophy and nothing interesting ever happens.
LH: 你說法國電影怎么啦?Rattle on那是什么意思?
LL: To rattle on about something means to talk about it for a long time without really saying anything interesting or important.
LH: To rattle on就是嘮叨個沒完沒了,可是又沒說出什么有意思的,或重要的事。你說法國電影都在滔滔不絕地談哲學,才不是這樣呢!我之所以喜歡法國電影就是因為他們探討的都是很重要的議題,而且也不是象你說的rattle on and on.
LL: I think they do.
LH: 那你喜歡看英國電影嗎?我知道最近在上演一部新的英國片。
LL: Sorry, but I think British movies are the same as French movies. The characters rattle on about fashion, manners, and society and don't really do anything.
LH: 什么!你覺得英國片也經(jīng)??淇淦湔劦卣f時裝、禮貌、社會風尚,可是卻沒有什么行動?嗨,那你是不是只愛看武打片?
LL: No, but I do prefer a movie in which people act on their beliefs rather than just rattling on about them.
LH: 你喜歡電影里的角色要為自己的信仰努力,而不喜歡它們嘮嘮叨叨的空談。那我同意!那你到底想看哪一部電影嘛?
LL: I wasn't rattling on. I was just expressing my opinion. How about this movie about the American Revolution? Is that okay with you?
LH: 那部有關美國革命的電影啊?可以啊,不過我希望電影里的人不要滔滔不絕地講愛國主義,該不會都rattle on and on吧?
LL: Maybe a little, but there should be a lot of action, too.
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LH: Larry,你跑哪里去了,怎么這么晚才來嘛!我買好電影票在這里等你等了20分鐘了!
LL: Hey, don't give me the third degree! I'm a little late because my mom called, that's all.
LH: 原來是你媽媽打電話給你。對了,你又說我什么啦,我給你third degree?那是什么意思?
LL: To give someone the third degree means to question that person aggressively in order to get him/her to confess to something.
LH: To give someone the third degree就是盤問某人的意思。我可沒有盤問你的意思。我只是等你等了很久,都快發(fā)火了嘛!
LL: Sorry. I didn't expect my mom to call. My mom gave me the third degree, too. She wanted to know why I haven't called her in such a long time.
LH: 你媽也質(zhì)問你為什么這么久沒打電話回家。那你是怎么跟她說的?
LL: I just told her that I've been really busy. The truth is that I avoid calling her, because every time I do call her, she gives me the third degree about something.
LH: 你也別這樣,我想你媽不是真的在罵你,或生你的氣;她只是很關心你,很擔心你嘛!
LL: You're probably right, but sometimes she asks so many questions that it really feels like I'm getting the third degree.
LH: 如果你怕你媽問東問西的,也許你應該經(jīng)常打電話給她。這樣她就不會這么操心,也不會老是追問你一堆問題嘍!Then she won't give you the third degree.
LL: You know, Li Hua, that's a good idea!
今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是rattle on,這是形容嘮嘮叨叨,講一些無關緊要的事情。另外一個常用語是third degree,這是有質(zhì)問,盤問的意思。